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<title>Chapter 31. Boost.Random</title>
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<div><h2 class="title">
<a name="boost_random"></a>Chapter 31. Boost.Random</h2></div>
<div><div class="author"><h3 class="author">
<span class="firstname">Jens</span> <span class="surname">Maurer</span>
</h3></div></div>
<div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2000-2005 Jens Maurer</p></div>
<div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2009, 2010 Steven Watanabe</p></div>
<div><p class="copyright">Copyright © 2022-2025 Matt
      Borland</p></div>
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<a name="boost_random.legal"></a><p>
        Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying
        file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at <a href="http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt" target="_top">http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt</a>)
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<p><b>Table of Contents</b></p>
<dl class="toc">
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_random.html#boost_random.introduction">Introduction</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_random/tutorial.html">Tutorial</a></span></dt>
<dd><dl>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_random/tutorial.html#boost_random.tutorial.generating_integers_in_a_range">Generating
      integers in a range</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_random/tutorial.html#boost_random.tutorial.generating_integers_with_different_probabilities">Generating
      integers with different probabilities</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_random/tutorial.html#boost_random.tutorial.generating_a_random_password">Generating
      a random password</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_random/tutorial.html#boost_random.tutorial.generating_quasi_random_line_sphere_intersections">Generating
      quasi-random line-sphere intersections</a></span></dt>
</dl></dd>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_random/reference.html">Reference</a></span></dt>
<dd><dl>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_random/reference.html#boost_random.reference.concepts">Concepts</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_random/reference.html#boost_random.reference.generators">Generators</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_random/reference.html#boost_random.reference.distributions">Distributions</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_random/reference.html#boost_random.reference.utilities">Utilities</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_random/reference.html#headers">Headers</a></span></dt>
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<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_random/performance.html">Performance</a></span></dt>
<dt><span class="section"><a href="boost_random/history_and_acknowledgements.html">History and
    Acknowledgements</a></span></dt>
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<div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both">
<a name="boost_random.introduction"></a><a class="link" href="boost_random.html#boost_random.introduction" title="Introduction">Introduction</a>
</h2></div></div></div>
<p>
      Random numbers are useful in a variety of applications. The Boost Random Number
      Library (Boost.Random for short) provides a variety of <a class="link" href="boost_random/reference.html#boost_random.reference.generators" title="Generators">generators</a>
      and <a class="link" href="boost_random/reference.html#boost_random.reference.distributions" title="Distributions">distributions</a>
      to produce random numbers having useful properties, such as uniform distribution.
    </p>
<p>
      You should read the <a class="link" href="boost_random/reference.html#boost_random.reference.concepts" title="Concepts">concepts
      documentation</a> for an introduction and the definition of the basic concepts.
      For a quick start, it may be sufficient to have a look at <a href="../../libs/random/example/random_demo.cpp" target="_top">random_demo.cpp</a>.
    </p>
<p>
      For a very quick start, here's an example:
    </p>
<pre class="programlisting"><code class="computeroutput"><a class="link" href="doxygen/headers/mersenne__twister_8hpp_1a313d63e0721b6a6bba3a1be507e9e6a2.html" title="Type definition mt19937">boost::random::mt19937</a></code> <span class="identifier">rng</span><span class="special">;</span>         <span class="comment">// produces randomness out of thin air</span>
                                    <span class="comment">// see pseudo-random number generators</span>
<code class="computeroutput"><a class="link" href="doxygen/headers/classboost_1_1random_1_1uniform__int__distribution.html" title="Class template uniform_int_distribution">boost::random::uniform_int_distribution</a></code>&lt;&gt; <span class="identifier">six</span><span class="special">(</span><span class="number">1</span><span class="special">,</span><span class="number">6</span><span class="special">);</span>
                                    <span class="comment">// distribution that maps to 1..6</span>
                                    <span class="comment">// see random number distributions</span>
<span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="identifier">x</span> <span class="special">=</span> <span class="identifier">six</span><span class="special">(</span><span class="identifier">rng</span><span class="special">);</span>                   <span class="comment">// simulate rolling a die</span>
</pre>
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